OUR VIEW: Beach vending gets a reboot

Wednesday

Jul 19, 2017 at 12:47 AMJul 19, 2017 at 12:50 AM

Volusia County’s beach concessions are an integral part of a day in the sun.

For many visitors — from the children wheedling their parents for a frozen delicacy, to the senior citizens who enjoy zipping down the beach on a rented cruiser — Volusia County’s beach concessions are an integral part of a day in the sun. The county has a valid interest in making sure that the vendors adhere to standards that ensure a safe, enjoyable and friendly atmosphere for the tourists and locals who are so crucial to this area’s economy.

(READ: Amending vending)

Beach vending contracts expire Sept. 30, which awakened fears that a big, out-of-town firm could take control of the business. That fear has been put to rest: Both bids up for consideration at Thursday’s County Council meeting are from locals with extensive Volusia County ties and long-term experience on the beach. One bid, from a veteran New Smyrna Beach concessionaire, would cover beaches south of Ponce Inlet. The other, from Ormond Beach-based Volusia Beach Rentals (already a “master” concessionaire on the beach with 14 beach vendors under contract) would cover the entire stretch of Volusia County’s beach.

Both promise an enhanced level of vending — with all workers in uniforms and a standardized appearance to the trucks that rent food, equipment and vehicles on the beach. John Greene, president of Volusia Beach Rentals, also talked about adding amenities like an app that would allow beachgoers who rent beach umbrellas to summon snacks from their mobile phones — while Harold Lloyd, president of the newly created NSB Concessions, offers to pay the county more than it’s asking for South Beach concessions.

Under the new contract terms, vendors will see a significant, and beneficial, change in the way their rents are calculated. The old way of calculating payments to the county — which includes a percentage of their sales — will end. Instead, vendors will pay a flat fee, ending burdensome recordkeeping. They’ll also be allowed to jettison the GPS systems the county currently requires.

The bad news: The county expects more money. Last year, the county made $382,982 from concessions; it is asking for a minimum of $425,000 for the first year of the contract for the whole beach, and with steady increases in the next two years. Volusia Beach Rentals bid that minimum. For the South Beach alone, the fee would be $34,000; Lloyd bid $50,000. Under the new terms, vendors will be required to provide recycling containers, and all concession employees will attend “turtle school” to teach them how to avoid disturbing endangered species that nest on Volusia County beaches.

These provisions make sense — but one of the new rules that’s causing the most consternation is a requirement that vehicles be painted white or “completely and professionally wrapped” with uniform graphics, a requirement that seems to cross the line into micro-management, since many vendors already keep their paint jobs and equipment in good repair.

Councilwoman Deb Denys agrees, pointing out that many families use different-colored beach vending trucks as landmarks to guide children when they’re in the water. Council members should discuss whether the rules need to be quite that stringent; there’s a boundary between sensible, needed regulation and “wouldn’t it be nice” overkill, especially since the current contract actually banned white vehicles.

County officials also should look at ways to protect vendors against events beyond their control, such as hurricanes.

Overall, however, the new rules seem a sensible upgrade to the agreements now in place, giving vendors the security of a fixed payment, the county a guarantee of stable income and beachgoers access to innovative new services and a clean, friendly beach experience. If those promises don’t materialize, however, the county should be ready to renegotiate.